


solace for days like these

by earlgrey_milktea



Series: as long as you stand by me (ffxv works) [9]
Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Best Friends, Chronic Pain, Fluff, Friendship/Love, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Promptis Week, Sleepy Cuddles, high school era
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-12
Updated: 2017-09-12
Packaged: 2018-12-27 06:25:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,013
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12075354
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/earlgrey_milktea/pseuds/earlgrey_milktea
Summary: today is a bad day.noctis has always soldiered through it on his own, but today... maybe prompto can make it better.





	solace for days like these

**Author's Note:**

> **bed sharing** / **high school days**
> 
> these two prompts are my favourite playground to play in ehehe but heyyyy i'm back with the sleepy cuddles!!

Today is a bad day.

Noctis wakes with the sensation that his whole body is on fire. His muscles scream in pain with every movement he makes, his skin feels too hot and too cold at the same time, and his head pounds with an unsteady rhythm that made him dizzy. It’s not the dull agony of catching a cold, though. No, it’s much more familiar than that.

Blindly, Noctis reaches out and slaps his hand around until he locates his phone. The screen sends little stabbing pains through his head, so he closes his eyes and hopes his fingers are hitting the right places on the keyboard. He presses send, and lets the phone fall from his hands. 

_ You need to eat something _ , a voice that sounds suspiciously like Ignis says through the aching of his head. 

“Later,” Noctis mumbles. He tugs the covers back over himself, and goes back to sleep.

 

 

Something is ringing in his ear. 

Noctis bats at it, but it continues. Grumbling, he opens his eyes to find a chocobo in his face. Not a real one, just the one Prompto set up as his contact picture on Noctis’ phone. He pulls the phone closer and slides right.

“H’llo?”

“Noct! I’m downstairs.”

Noctis groans. “Ugh, why?”

“You told me you weren’t coming to class today, so I brought your homework! Unless I read your text wrong. There were more numbers than letters.”

“You can leave the homework outside.”

Prompto laughs. The sound quiets the pounding in Noctis’ head. “Just buzz me in, Noct.”

It takes Noctis a while to reach the front door. He wraps himself up in his thickest blanket and half-drags, half-rolls himself to the wall where the little intercom thing is located. He smacks it a few times before he manages to hit the right button. Then he sinks down against the wall and flops over onto the floor. It’s a challenge finding a position that least aggravates his aching body, but he tries.

He’s jolted back to the present when Prompto’s voice floats through the door. “Noct? Hello, anyone home?”

“Hrrruunnnghh,” Noctis replies.

There’s a pause. Then Prompto’s voice returns, a little more concerned this time, “Dude, are you okay? Should I call Iggy?”

Noctis lurches towards the door. His limbs protest every inch of the way. He manages to open the door, revealing his friend standing in the hall in his school uniform, rumpled from his run here. Astrals, Noctis can tell he ran here, and Six, Noctis doesn’t deserve Prompto.

“Whoa, buddy.” Prompto kneels down next to him. “Are you sick?”

“No,” says Noctis. “Just the usual. Old injuries, chronic pain, the Crystal slowly draining my life force, you know. What else is new.”

A frown crosses Prompto’s face. Noctis feels a little guilty, because he knows his friend really does worry about him. But unfortunately, this is something neither of them can do much about.

Prompto helps Noctis back to his bedroom, and he collapses onto the bed with relief. He rolls onto his back and squints at the ceiling. His body still hurts, and his head still feels heavy, but just the thought that Prompto is within reach soothes him. He waves a hand through the air.

“Prom,” he says, “you’re staying the night, right?”

Prompto hesitates. Noctis turns his head. His friend is biting the corner of his lip, probably thinking that he shouldn’t overstay his welcome, but there’s no way he ever could. Especially not since Noctis found out about the empty house Prompto returns to. And it might be selfish of him, but he doesn’t really want to be alone right now.

“Okay,” Prompto says eventually, and Noctis breathes out slowly.

 

 

It’s later, after a quick dinner of reheated leftovers and a few rounds of video games that Prompto peers at Noctis with concern again.

“You sure you don’t want me to call Iggy?”

“Yeah,” says Noctis, sliding down on his bed. “I just sleep it off, usually.”

Prompto hums. “Well, good thing there’s no school tomorrow.”

Noctis must have dozed off, because the next he knows, his room is dark and his bed is moving underneath him. He blinks. It’s Prompto, dressed in one of Noct’s sweaters, hair tucked behind his ears and looking very, very soft. Noctis shuffles over.

“Sorry,” Prompto whispers, “didn’t mean to wake you.”

“Mm,” Noctis mumbles back. “You remember to take your contacts out?”

“Yeah. I can’t see shit right now.”

“Cool.”

Noctis closes his eyes as Prompto shifts further onto the bed. It’s always been too big for just Noctis. Which is good, when he aches like this. But it’s much better when Prompto’s warmth is right there next to him. He rolls over until he’s pressed up against his best friend. Prompto immediately slings an arm around him, tugging him close while at the same time leaving enough room for Noctis to pull away when it starts to be too much. 

Noctis has never found the courage to say it out loud, but he thinks Prompto’s hugs are the best thing in the world. Better than the custards Ignis makes. Better than managing to beat Gladio in a sparring match for once. Better than weekend fishing trips. Prompto runs a little warmer than he does, and he always smells like afternoon sunshine. Noctis has long since stopped worrying about the sappy thoughts that flutter in his mind in relation to his best friend. He nudges closer, and Prompto holds him back.

“Is this okay?” Prompto murmurs. He’s lying close enough on the pillow that his hair brushes Noctis’ forehead. It tickles a bit.

Noctis manages to grunt something that sounded like okay. He can feel himself starting to drift off again, the throbbing throughout his body fading to a dull ache, only the sensation of Prompto’s body around him, safe,  familiar, grounding. There are fingers in his hair, stroking slowly. He counts the spaces between Prompto’s breaths until his own breaths match. 

 

 

Today was a bad day.

But Prompto is here now. Prompto is here. 

Everything will be okay.

**Author's Note:**

> come talk to me about giving noctis the happiness he deserves @puddingcatbae on tumblr/twitter


End file.
